Grave of the Fireflies

Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata co-founded Studio Ghibli, which became Japan's most revered Japanese animation studio, and one of their first releases was Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies. The WWII story of a young brother and sister who, after their mother's death in a firebombing, wander the landscape scrounging and starving in the final days of Japan's defeat, doesn't sound like a feel-good hit, and it wasn't. Over time, however, it's become acclaimed as one of the greatest animated films and one of the hardest-hitting depictions of war's effect on children. While the story balances its grimmest realities with sentimental fantasy about ghosts and fireflies, the effect remains overwhelmingly sad. It's being shown as part of Studio Ghibli Fest on August 12 and 15 in its English-dubbed version — but make an effort to see the Japanese version with subtitles on August 13.